CNN Hits Near Low In Q1 Ratings, Fox News On Top Again For 49th Time, MSNBC Down

They may have had a March ratings surge with their constant coverage of the missing Malaysian Airliner but it wasn’t enough to save CNN from one of their worst quarterly primetime results ever. Between December 30, 2013 and March 28, 2014, the Jeff Zucker-run cable news network pulled in an average of 498,000 total viewers between 8 PM and 11 PM and 169,000 among adults 25-54. While CNN saw a slight 3% dip in the key news demo, it slid 16% in total viewers from from Q1 2013. That viewership result slide tumbles CNN down to the third worst quarter it has ever had in total audience. Only the Q2 2012’s 446,000 and Q4 2013’s 474,000 were worst for network. Fellow cabler MSNBC was also down from Q1 2013. With 683,000 total viewers in primetime, MSNBC fell 10% in Q1 2014 from a year beforehand. Undoubtedly, all the shifts in the cabler’s schedule, anchor missteps and the vast underperformance of assumed golden boy Ronan Farrow were contributing factors in this fall. Still MSNBC had its best quarter in a year and held on to the No. #2 primetime spot in both total viewers and among adults 25-54 (214,000, down 4% from Q1 2013). The network was also second in total day with 394,000 viewers and 138,000 in the demo, a fall of 9% and a 2% from Q1 2103.

As CNN took a dive and MSNBC tumbled, Fox News Channel saw a small rise in both viewership and demo in primetime. The only cable news network to even edge up this quarter, FNC pulled in 1.8 million viewers and 293,000 in the 25-54s. That Q1 2014 result is up 4% and 3% respectively and beats both CNN and MSNBC combined in total viewers. With its No.#1 Total Day total viewership result of 1.09 million viewers FNC has had its 49th consecutive quarterly victory in both primetime and total day. Of course having the top 14 shows in cable news with The O’Reilly Factor (2.7M), The Kelly File (2.22M), The Five 2.13M), Special Report w/ Bret Baier (2.06M) and On The Record With Greta Van Susteren (1.81M) making up the Top 5 probably didn’t hurt either. Not only was FNC once again on top but they also came in fifth place in total viewers (1.804M) in all of cable behind No.#1 USA (2.186M), ESPN (2.11M), TBS (1.949M) and History (1.948M). MSNBC was No. #27 with 683,000, while CNN, with its 498,000, was tied for 34th spot with E! Entertainment.

39 Comments

Jack • on Apr 1, 2014 11:15 am

CNN’s and MSNBC’s ratings are down because nobody trusts them anymore. Unfortunately, the owners will not allow those stations to tell the truth. Just look at what happened to Phil Donahue, Jesse Ventura and Cenk Uygur. They would challenge the government and they got fired for it.

WhateverMan • on Apr 1, 2014 11:28 am

CNN doesn’t challenge the government. They usually challenge MSNBC to see who can shill for the current government more vociferously, but they are no challenge to the government. If they did, perhaps they would have some ratings.

Claude • on Apr 1, 2014 2:47 pm

WhateverMan, excellent post. Thank you.

Titus Greenwood • on Apr 2, 2014 2:12 pm

I thought CNN would really pull off some good ratings during the missing Malaysian aircraft “crisis.” I guess they should have stuck to that “Blackhole” crap, or maybe “Alien Abduction.” Since they obviously were attempting to capture the KOOK FRINGE they mucked it up. The only thing they never explored was the OBVIOUS, that being a Muslim conspiracy to abscond to locations unknown for nefarious reasons.

KHW • on Apr 4, 2014 9:12 am

CNN has honestly just devolved into a huge running joke. Any one on that network that claims to be a “journalist” should just find a hole and crawl in it haha. MSNBC is quite literally a megaphone for the administration and big government and all they ever do is race bait and appeal to low information voters.

brewmaster95060 • on Apr 14, 2014 6:23 pm

Cenk Uygur and the TRUTH? THAT IS FUNNY

WhateverMan • on Apr 1, 2014 11:27 am

When has Zucker EVER known what he was doing? He had partners in the early days, and scapegoats after that. The man is a moron.

Terrence Linder • on Apr 1, 2014 11:29 am

Maybe if they talked about the OBAMAS 24/7 like the overpaid anchors do at faux news channel, thier ratings would soar too!

Claude • on Apr 1, 2014 2:47 pm

Yes, I am sure that is what Fox News does. You sir, are an idiot.

Mel • on Apr 2, 2014 8:03 am

We’re not talking big numbers here. Fox News is “on top” with an average of 1.8 million viewers. Republicans have always been consistently loyal. If you can’t scare up 2 million loyal Republicans, you shouldn’t be in business. MSNBC suffers from the ‘Air America’ syndrome. Democrats just don’t care about watching non-stop GOP bashing and Obama @$$-kissing. They also suffer from lack of content. CNN is just plain boring. Yes, they’re great during a crisis. Almost a must-see network compared to the other two. But, they’re boring.

Rocky • on Apr 2, 2014 12:35 pm

No.Like it or not, they suffer from a lack of conservative hosts. Every liberal major media outlet in radio or TV has failed in the ratings because of the their liberal left wing politics, period, end of story. No one but the extreme left, socialist marxist crowd is buying that crap. The numbers don’t lie. Sadly journalism is dead except for a few very tenacious news reporters on Fox like Catherine Herridge and ABC like Jake Tapper.

Tex Geoas • on Apr 2, 2014 3:20 pm

Your own comment certifies that you do not watch (and may never have watched) the news channel you are smearing. Condemnation prior to investigation is the highest form of ignorance.

FYI, the Fox News Channel is the ONLY consistent source that has guests who argue BOTH SIDES of current issues… and they let their very intelligent viewers decide.

CNN and MSNBC are slanted in only one direction most of the time. They choose to make their viewers ignorant of the WHOLE STORY.

But you don’t want to hear this… do you?

FTCS • on Apr 1, 2014 11:32 am

And yet, the always optimistic, egocentric and generally uncreative Jeff Zucker keeps telling the world how great CNN is doing.

Of course, Zucker is smart enough to know that no one listens to him on about the same ratio as no one watches CNN.

Jewels • on Apr 1, 2014 2:50 pm

CNN stinks. Absolutely stinks. MSNBC is so one-sided, they may Fox look tame. Both are absolute jokes and deserve the pathetic ratings they’ve “earned.”

Ryan in L.A. • on Apr 1, 2014 1:57 pm

CNN’s nonstop coverage of the missing jetliner seems like a proud declaration that they are no longer interested in being a credible news source but rather an exploitive Dateline-NBC-style outfit. It might serve them in the ratings (hasn’t yet!) but the staff at CNN (Wolf Blitzer, Don Lemon, Anderson Cooper, et al) are starting to look like clowns in suits.

Mwekaman • on Apr 1, 2014 2:39 pm

Only the most stupid among us are left watching television news. The rest of us are using more sophisticated means to engage with what is going on in the world. No wonder Fox News still has its followers and its numbers.

Apocalypse Pooh • on Apr 2, 2014 6:30 am

I never found elitism a substitute for wisdom. Only the stupid watch television news, everyone else is using information technologies via the internet? I’ve seen plenty of partisan idiots on message boards whose affiliation with a political party becomes a substitute for rigorous analysis of public policy issues. Television News is entertainment. Only stupid people watch entertainment, everyone else uses more sophisticated means to get news? People watch prime time infotainment shows for the personalities and the drama, not the news. By 7:00 p.m., people already know the news, they tune in to see what news personalities are going to say about it. It’s not complicated, never has been, and I’m mystified CNN and MSNBC (and apparently you) can’t seem to grasp the concept.

Mel • on Apr 2, 2014 8:05 am

If Fox News, with its 1.8 million average viewers, was a network TV show, they would have been canceled years ago. Obviously, CNN and MSNBC would be long gone, too. Don’t know how Fox News can celebrate the fact that they only get 1.8 million viewers FOR THE ENTIRE NETWORK!

UncommonDenominator • on Apr 2, 2014 2:15 pm

Actually, people who want to hear real news just head over to Al Jazeera these days. It’s the only station where the same talking points aren’t regurgitated from one show to the next. Thank Christ someone still prioritizes reporting over ratings.

patrick • on Apr 1, 2014 3:50 pm

MSNBC will continue to sink into oblivion so long as they look and act like mere water-carrying morons for an idiot Administration pandering to delusional left wingers.

cadavra • on Apr 1, 2014 10:13 pm

As opposed to Fox, which pre-Obama looked and acted like mere water-carrying morons for an idiot Administration pandering to delusional right-wingers. And continues to do so even though the GOP is out of the White House.

paula jablonski • on Apr 1, 2014 5:16 pm

The only “high” CNN ever has is their cable prices. And it’s like betting on a plug at the track for advertisers to buy time.

Tim • on Apr 1, 2014 7:04 pm

You have to love the paid FOX shills who come here to promote how great they are by their ratings despite the fact that Ratings don’t equal credibility. They are successful because they courner the market on stupid.

RMLea • on Apr 2, 2014 4:29 am

It’s people like you who are making the decisions at CNN and MSNBC. Keep it up, your only hope is to blame others for your incompetence and ignorance.

Apocalypse Pooh • on Apr 2, 2014 12:16 pm

FOX and Comedy Central are successful in their political shows because they feature personalities that entertain their audiences. That’s what’s tanking CNN and MSNBC. Show business 101.

mikeTV • on Apr 1, 2014 7:09 pm

I used to love CNN and HLN. CNN has become ABN (aka “Anthony Bourdain Network”) with nightly reruns of Sanjay Gupta’s Pot Special and HLN is the Forensic Files Network. Jeff Zucker has destroyed both of these networks.

Mel • on Apr 2, 2014 8:07 am

Announcement any day now that Jeff Zucker is “retiring” from CNN. Maybe they should go ask Ted Turner what he would do with the network (probably tell them to shut it down).

Bruce • on Apr 2, 2014 4:49 am

It’s simply all about the news product. News buzzwords such as Benghazi, IRS, Obamacare lies and changes, Syria, Iran, virtually do not exist on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC yet are all widely known, if not understood, news topics. “Climate change” is a dominant topic. News consumers whom go to the CNNs hear all about climate change but not much about these other top of mind issues. If a town grocery store offered its customers only one brand of cookies, and that store’s in town competitor stocks all brands, then it would soon become a one store town. And remain one.

Birmingham • on Apr 2, 2014 5:45 am

Am I to believe then that all the fools who are tuning into Fox would suddenly become smart people like you if they started watching CNN/MSNBC? How long would it take you to crow about a surge in ratings if, and I realize at this point that this is an unlikely hypothetical, that were to happen? Would you still argue that ratings don’t equate to “credibility”?

John • on Apr 2, 2014 7:53 am

MSNBC and CNN have become the liberal propaganda channels; they traded their integrity and credibility for their political agenda.
Only the far left and the Obamabots view them anymore and I doubt if even they believe the talking points that these liberal Public Relations firms repeat.

jk • on Apr 2, 2014 7:56 am

CNN is down because they’ve lost sight of journalism. FauxNews is up because they work they tabloid circus act. Neither are providing serious news. Neither are providing accurate news.

Paul_Vincent_Zecchino • on Apr 2, 2014 8:44 am

Ted Fonda’s Communist News Network can expect yet lower ratings, along with the rest of the marxstream media networks.

CNN is currently ignoring the Leland Yee story, about a gun runner to terrorists who in public life is a love idol of the Sand Hook ban-the-gun crowd.

He reportedly publicly preaches gun control for everyone and writes laws to confiscate firearms from law abiding citizens, while in private he makes deals with Russian MOBsters and Philipine jihado-marxist terrorists for stinger missiles.

Baloney. CNN does plenty of rotten things to state senators and the local dog catcher so long as they’re conservatives.

The truth is out, regardless of CNN and the marxstream media’s sleazy efforts to erase this story.

And CNN and the rest of the moth-eaten, leftist media are out.

Out of ratings, out of time, out of audience.

Citizens are no longer willing to accept the lies recited by the marxstream media.
.

Mike Lamson • on Apr 2, 2014 9:22 am

One of the biggest issues is CNN and MSNBC cherry pick stories that suit their political viewpoint. They are suppose to be news channels.
Or at least they used to be.
You cannot succeed in an echo chamber. Hence their abysmal ratings and the migration of some of their talent.

Natalia • on Apr 4, 2014 8:22 am

I have no respect to MSNBC or CNN cause they lie to protect Obama.I’m libera but I have learned to watch Fox news and I like it .MSNBC activists channel

Bill Powdrell • on Apr 10, 2014 1:25 pm

Absolutely,the three(3) most important words in the American lexicon are: 1) RATINGS. 2) Cleavage and 3)”ABSOLUTELY”

Google up “Ned Beatty’s ‘NETWORK’ speech”

Anonymous • on Apr 14, 2014 8:52 pm

Don’t forget Dylan Ratigan’s on air clarity explosion….

Donald • on Apr 15, 2014 10:29 am

The racist fox news will lose half there viewers when Obama is out of office.

Haven’t you figured it out? The ‘news’ is just entertainment brought to you by big money. Left vs. right is a staged ‘fight’, intended to draw viewers who think it’s real. The format is always the same: The right lobs a stink-bomb and the left goes yip-yip-yipping after it. Anyone who lets slip some truth is gone.